Press Releases

Applications received from live poultry trade for buyout payments

A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said today that (September 24) as at 5 pm, a total of 29 (55.8%) out of the 52 eligible poultry farmers (including 50 chicken and two pigeon farmers) applied to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to surrender their livestock keeping licences and permanently cease rearing live poultry to receive ex-gratia payments (EGP).

Furthermore, 50 (70.4%) out of the 71 eligible live poultry wholesalers and 199 (79.6%) out of the 250 eligible transporters had submitted their applications to cease operation permanently at the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market to receive EGP.

Applicants are required to cease their business and surrender the licences or tenancies concerned within three months from the date of approval of their applications for ex-gratia payments. Local workers affected by closure of business of farmers, wholesalers and transporters can submit their applications for the one-off grant 21 days after the latter’s surrender of licences or tenancies.

As for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, a total of 333 live poultry retailers, comprising 172 market tenants and 161 Fresh Provision Shop (FPS) licensees, applied for permanent surrender of their permission to sell live poultry and to receive (EGP). This represents a 71.8% of all 464 live poultry retailers. In addition, a total of 812 local workers of the live poultry retail sector had applied for the one-off grant.

The retailers who have applied for EGP are required to cease their live poultry business by 8 pm tonight.

Since the buyout scheme is still open for application, the final number of applications and other details will be announced tomorrow.
Ends/Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Issued at HKT 21:54

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